The Giant Planets Review

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a correct statement about the ways the jovian planets differ from the terrestrial planets?

• the jovians are larger

• all the jovians have satellites around them and none of the terrestrials do

• the jovians are made mostly of liquid and gas

• the jovians are typically colder and further from the Sun

Multiple Choice

What do the magnetic fields of Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune have in common?

• all three have their magnetic axes offset from the center of the planet

• all are weaker than the Earth's magnetic field

• all are caused by molten iron and nickel deep within each planet

• all are tilted by about 50 or 60 degrees from the planet's axis of rotation

Multiple Choice

The primary clouds in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn are composed of:

• water vapor

• iron and nickel

• frozen ammonia crystals

• metallic hydrogen

Multiple Choice

The upper clouds in the atmosphere of Neptune are composed of:

• frozen water crystals

• liquid hydrogen

• iron crystals caught in the magnetic field lines

• carbon dioxide

Multiple Choice

In the far future, a daring interplanetary tourist wants to go "hang-gliding" on the jovian planet with the highest equatorial wind speeds.  Which planet would have the fastest wind at its equator?

• Jupiter

• Saturn

• Uranus

• Neptune

Multiple Choice

One reason that we have such a complex system of belts/zones/storms in Jupiter's atmosphere is that:

•  the planet rotates very rapidly

• the magnetic field is not centered inside 

• ring particles "rain down" regularly

• the closeness of the asteroid belt means the planet feels a lot of gravitational tugs from nearby asteroids

Multiple Choice

The Red Spot of Jupiter is:

• variable in size          

• a high pressure storm system in the atmosphere

• made of a reddish colored material (but we don't know what gives it the reddish color)

• long-lived (observed since the 1600's) 

• all of the above

Multiple Choice

The bluish color that makes the atmosphere of Neptune so beautiful to the human eye is caused by the interaction of sunlight with what gas?

•     

  hydrogen

• carbon dioxide 

• methane

• helium

Multiple Choice

What was a surprise to astronomers when they carefully examined Neptune with the Hubble Space Telescope in 1994?

• the magnetic field of the planet had reversed (north was now south)

• new elements and compounds were found in the upper atmosphere that had not been there before

• the Great Dark Spot had disappeared

• the wind speeds had slowed considerably

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements about Jupiter's magnetosphere is TRUE?

•  its source is a zone directly above the planet's cloudtops

• the magnetic field is 20 to 30 times weaker than the Earth's

• it is tilted so that it is almost perpendicular (at 90 degrees) to the equator of Jupiter

• it completely covers the inner satellites of Jupiter and is one of the largest structures in the solar system

Multiple Choice

By far the most abundant element in the giant (jovian) planets is:

• helium

• hydrogen

• oxygen

• nitrogen

Multiple Choice

Which of the following does the composition of a planet like Jupiter resemble:

• the Sun

• the Moon

• the Earth

• Mars

Multiple Choice

Much of what we have learned about the jovian planets and their satellites has come from the work of two spacecraft called:

• Viking

• Magelian

• Voyager

• Mariner

Multiple Choice

The largest planet in the solar system (by mass) is

• Mars

• Venus

• Jupiter

• Neptune

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a way that Jupiter differs from terrestrial planets?

•  it is farther away from the Sun

• it includes much more gas and liquid

• it is larger in diameter

• its surface has many more craters from early collisions

Multiple Choice

What allowed the Voyager 2 spacecraft to make a "tour" of all four of the jovian planets in the late 1970's and the 1980's?

• NASA had developed a completely new kind of rocket that could send the craft from planet to planet

• the four planets were approximately aligned on one side of the Sun and we used the gravity of each planet to speed up the spacecraft to get to the next one in its path

• the spacecraft stopped off to collect fuel on the satellites of each planet before proceeding to the next one

• we used laser beams to propel the spacecraft into the outer solar system, where sunlight is dim

Multiple Choice

The jovian planet that has the longest year (period of revolution) is:

• Jupiter

• Saturn

• Uranus

• Neptune

Multiple Choice

Which of the jovian planets has the shortest period of rotation (the shortest day)?

• Jupiter

• Saturn

• Uranus

• Neptune

Multiple Choice

Jupiter has enough mass to make 318 Earths.  In contrast, Uranus and Neptune have only enough mass to make

• 100 Earths

• 70 Earths

• 15 Earths

• 2 Earths

Multiple Choice

 The planet that orbits "on its side" (i.e. has its rotation axis perpendicular to the plane of its orbit) is:

• Uranus

• Neptune

• Jupiter

• Saturn

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements about the seasons on Jupiter is correct?

• Jupiter has seasons pretty much like the Earth; its axis has the same tilt, and each season is about the same length

•  Jupiter has the same axis tilt as the Earth, but each season on Jupiter is much longer

• Jupiter's axis is tilted much more than the Earth's so its seasons are much more intense

• Jupiter's axis is hardly tilted so it has no real seasonal variations

Multiple Choice

The element that can act like a metal when it is under tremendous pressure and is probably responsible for Jupiter and Saturn's magnetism is:

• gold

• helium

• hydrogen

• water

Multiple Choice

At their centers, all the jovian planets have cores made of:

• hydrogen and helium in the form of gas

•  hydrogen and helium in the form of liquids

• methane, ammonia, and sulfur compounds

• a solid mixture of rocky and icy materials under great pressure

Multiple Choice

Which of the following characteristics distinguishes Uranus from every other planet in our solar system?

• it has more than one moon

•  its atmosphere is made of gases

• it rotates on an axis tilted almost 90 degrees to the circle of its orbit

• its orbit is significantly tilted relative to the orbits of the other planets